Jake Kwon
Seoul correspondent

We’re still grasping the scale of destruction and possible injury.

We have just heard from the prime minister, saying she had received reports of injuries and mobilised 3,600 self-defence forces to save human lives.

The place we are most concerned about is the shopping centre outside Kumamoto city. Officials say the second floor collapsed after the tremor, and many people inside are trapped. We have seen rescue workers going in.

Authorities are also warning people about the day two tremor. More than two hundred people were killed ten years ago when earthquakes struck the same island - the second tremor was more powerful than the first.

And this is why authorities are advising people to keep their eyes and ears close to the radio and television for possible take shelter or evacuation orders.

Image source, EPA

Tokyo Haneda Airport is currently experiencing several delays and cancellations because of the earthquake.

The airport, which is hundreds of miles from Kumamoto, currently has over 40 domestic and international flights delayed or cancelled.

Regional and connecting flights are affected, and passengers have been told they should check the status of the flight with their airline before travelling

Japan's meteorological agency says there were a total of 61 aftershocks recorded following today's initial earthquake.

It says these ranged from one to six in seismic intensity.

For comparison, after the 2016 earthquake in Kumamoto that injured more than 1,000 and killed over 40 people, it says that quakes with a seismic intensity of seven quakes took place over two days.

Alongside the magnitude measurement scale, Japan uses its own seismic intensity scale.

This ranges from zero to seven in severity. Zero means people do not feel any shaking at all, while seven means furniture will be moved or thrown around by the quake.

Image source, EPA

We're seeing an image of a collapsed footbridge in the Kumamoto region following today's 7.1 magnitude earthquake.

It's unclear if anyone was injured, or when the collapse took place. Traffic appears to be travelling on the bridge that runs parallel to it.

Image source, Reuters

We've heard an updated statement from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

A statement says: "Following a request from the Governor of Kumamoto, the Self-Defence Forces are currently operating in the disaster-hit areas with 3,600 personnel.

"At this critical situation, guided by the principle of ‘human life first’, we are working in close cooperation with local authorities to minimise damage as much as possible and ensure the safety of the public."

As late evening approaches, she says teams will work "tirelessly through the night" to assess the extent of the damage and monitor affected areas.

Video of collapsed mall shows people evacuating sitepublished at 12:33 BST

12:33 BST

BBC Verify is analysing images from Kumamoto, Japan, where the Aeon Mall shopping centre has partially collapsed.

One video has been verified, showing people evacuating the site, surrounded by billowing smoke and dust.

We're working to bring you that clip as soon as possible.

Tuesday's earthquake caused "no damage or safety issues" at the Sendai nuclear power plant, around 100km from the epicentre of the quake, says the international atomic watchdog.

In a post on X, the International Atomic Energy Agency says that the plant "remains in operation" and the group will "continue to monitor the situation".

Image source, Getty

Speaking earlier - before the confirmation of trapped shoppers - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said her teams had "been informed that there are already some injured people".

She also said there had been reports of damage to roads and infrastructure, "as well as collapsed buildings".

She urged residents to evacuate to a safe location, and said injuries and the extent of the damage were being assessed.

Image source, Reuters

Japanese news agency NHK reports a witness seeing an explosion and smoke at the shopping mall.

The witness saw the second floor of the building collapse, with some shoppers taken to hospital.

Japan’s fire and disaster management agency later confirmed that the second floor of a "commercial facility" collapsed, with many people trapped inside.

Image source, Reuters

As we just reported, the quake with a magnitude of 7.1 struck south-west Japan on Tuesday afternoon local time.

Thousands of homes lost power and there was damage to roads.

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, experiencing around 1,500 earthquakes a year.

The meteorological agency has warned of strong aftershocks given the shallow epicentre - 10km (six miles).

Image source, Reuters

Several people are trapped inside a shopping centre after a strong earthquake hit south-west Japan, the local fire service says.

There were reports of an explosion at the Aeon Mall in Kumamoto, following the magnitude 7.1 earthquake.

The quake hit inland on Kyushu island at 16:27 local time (07:27 GMT), with more than 150,000 people being told to move to evacuation shelters. There was a brief tsunami warning that was lifted within the hour.

This is a developing story, we’ll bring you updates as we get them.